It's My Choice
by Annatheaxegirl
Summary: 10 different girls face the choices that will determine the rest of their lives. Will they choose the the paths set before them, or something different? Feedback would be appreciated :D Actually, feedback is demanded.
1. The First Choice

Annabella—

Erudite?

"A-are you sure?"

The Abnegation volunteer chuckles. "Yes, the aptitude test was quite conclusive. Now, you're free to go. Choose wisely tomorrow."

I stumble out of the room and back toward my Candor friends at our cafeteria table. Drea slowly stands up and moves toward the testing room that I just left. They must have just called her name. Leanne and Laurella are nowhere to be seen, so I assume they are in the other testing rooms. Only Meg, Nea, and Diah are still sitting at the table. I try to hide my nervousness and terror and sit down calmly.

I can't be Erudite! I've always been Candor! Well, sort of. My family has been Candor. I grew up in Candor, was always taught to be Candor, but I am not honest enough. Now that I think about it, I always knew that Erudite was where I belonged, but I denied it. In fact, probably everyone else could also tell I'm not Candor. I am not selfless enough for Abnegation. I am not peaceful enough for Amity. I am not brave enough for Dauntless. I am not honest enough for Candor. But I may be intelligent enough for Erudite.

No! I've got to stay in Candor. I will stay in my home faction, with my family, with the people I care about. I may not always fit in here, but I will never fit in with the Erudite, where they value knowledge above all else, where I don't know anyone, where they devalue every other virtue. Faction before blood? Not for me.

* * *

Leanne—

Abnegation.

Of course I'm Abnegation. What else would I be? I've always been selfless. It's who I am. I don't belong anywhere else, especially not in Candor. I love my family, of course, but I can't stay here. Life in Candor would never work for me. Faction before blood? I wish it wasn't true, but that's how it has to be.

* * *

Laurella—

Amity?

Maybe I am Amity, but it's not good. The Candor hate Amity. If I betrayed my home faction for one that values peace and kindness above honesty, it would only create conflict, which is what I don't want. But I must go where I belong. Faction before blood? I must remember that.

* * *

Eliza—

Erudite.

Good. I love my faction. I love how I've grown up. I love how no one is ignorant here. I have been hoping and praying that I would get this result, and I did. Now the decision is not hard for me. I can stay with my family and be who I am at the same time. Faction before blood? I am so glad I do not have to choose between them.

* * *

Drea—

Candor.

Well, I shouldn't be surprised. I am very honest. My family is also here. I wish all my friends will be staying here, but I know they all won't. I'll just have to take the path set out for me, which is staying in Candor. Faction before blood? I've always hated the saying, and I'm glad it won't have to apply to me.

* * *

Diah—

Dauntless.

Yes. I can't stand Candor. I can't stand all these do-gooders that call themselves other factions. Dauntless is the only one I like, and the only one I could fit into. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, and I love my friends, but I can't stand their factions. Faction before blood? Absolutely.

* * *

Rissa—

Divergent?

I don't know what it means. She said my test was inconclusive, she said this was dangerous, she said to not tell a soul, she said I was Divergent. My results showed Dauntless, Erudite, and my home, Abnegation. I can choose either one. I want to stay with my family, but I also want to be who I am. The problem is that I don't know who I am. Faction before blood? The real question is whether my faction _is_ my blood- or not.

* * *

Meg—

Candor.

I knew that would be my result. I grew up here. I am very honest. But why am I not happy? I don't want to be Candor. We lack any tact or kindness. We are selfish. We are ignorant. And we are definitely cowards. But I guess I don't really have a choice. Faction before blood? I have to choose both.

* * *

Nea—

Amity.

I am peaceful. I am kind. But I am also from Candor. They think kindness gets in the way of honesty. I can't betray them by going to Amity. That would disrupt the peace, which is my very goal. I must stay here. I must become Candor instead of Amity. Faction before blood? In a weird way, I think I am choosing both.

* * *

Janelle—

Abnegation?

I honestly never knew where I was supposed to be. Not Erudite, of course. My home faction is already too corrupt. But Abnegation? Maybe. The Erudite hate them. I hate Erudite. But I don't think I am really Abnegation, even though my aptitude test said so. I don't know. I don't know. Faction before blood? I really don't want either.

* * *

Annabella—

The Choosing Ceremony. It's where all of the sixteen-year-olds go after yesterday, when we took our aptitude tests. It's where we make the decisions that will determine the directions of our entire lives. It's where I am now, standing in a line composed of all of us who will be deciding. We will be called up to the stage one by one, in reverse alphabetical order by last name, where five large bowls will be waiting. The one choosing will walk past the bowls, take up a large knife, then turn to face the bowls again. On his left, he will see a bowl containing glass, for Candor. Next, soil for Amity. In the middle, grey stones represent Abnegation. Then burning coals for Dauntless. On the far right, water symbolizes Erudite. He will cut his palm and let his blood drip into the bowl containing the substance that represents the faction he chooses. Then he will be an initiate into his new faction.

We, and our families who are sitting behind the line of us, are welcomed to the ceremony. Then an Amity boy who has a last name that begins with "y" is called up. He chooses to stay in Amity. Names are called. Too many names. I don't bother to keep track of who goes where, at least not for the people I don't know. W, V, T, S, R.

And then I hear the name of my friend.

* * *

Leanne—

"Leanne Pilcher."

I walk forward slowly. I do not need to be nervous. I have already decided what I'm going to do. Does anyone else know what my plan is? We're not allowed to share our test results before the ceremony, but I think it was probably obvious that I'd never planned to stay in Candor.

Once I'm on the stage, I take the knife in my left hand and cautiously prick my right palm until I see a small droplet of blood. Where I'm headed, they strictly criticize any act of showing off, so it's best not to make a show of how much pain I can stand. I walk forward, stretch out my hand, and watch my blood drip on the red stones that were once grey.

Maybe leaving Candor is enough to show that I am too selfish for this faction.

* * *

Meg—

"Meg Karal."

I hurry up to the stage. It's best for me to get this over with and choose Candor. I snatch the knife from its table and quickly yank the blade across my left hand, wishing I would have tried harder not to cry out in pain. Clenching my left fist to keep the blood from spewing out, I march toward the Candor bowl but then stop short in front of it.

Why am I hesitating? This is where I'm going, obviously. Other people have to choose between their family and their test results, but for me, they're one and the same. I have no choice.

But I do. I have always had a choice. I turn to the right, brush past the Amity and Abnegation bowls, and open my hand directly over the coals of Dauntless.

Because that must have taken at least a little bravery.

* * *

Nea—

"Nea Jonas."

As I step up onto the stage, I question whether the decision I'm making is the right one. Should I go to Amity? Shouldn't I value faction over blood, like they always tell us? But I am valuing Amity, only not in the traditional way. Staying in Candor will keep the peace between the two factions. I must work for peace all around me; going to Amity will make only myself happy.

So I cut my left palm with the knife, walk to the Candor bowl, and watch the soft red glow of my blood shine through the glass.

Maybe I should have been Abnegation instead.

* * *

Elisa—

"Elisa Groote."

Here I go. I don't have any second thoughts. I march up to the stage, take the knife, prick my right palm, and hurry to the Erudite bowl. I am the first Erudite initiate, and my blood is the first impurity in the water. I watch it spread throughout the bowl, slowly turning the clear water crimson, and then I look up and give a confidant smile.

I may be hostile and selfish. I may be a liar and a coward. But I am also intelligent.

* * *

Janelle—

"Janelle Grogan."

What am I going to choose? I've tried to make a decision, I have. But I can't. I stumble up to the stage. Don't trip. Don't trip. What am I going to choose? I clutch the knife in a shaky hand. Drag the tip across the center of my palm. Oh, it hurts. What am I going to choose? There's the Abnegation bowl, in the center. And the Erudite bowl on the far right. My hand is bleeding. Don't pass out. What am I going to choose?

My faction. My family. I want neither. So I walk to the left and hold my hand out until I hear the blood splatter on the glass of Candor.

To be really honest, this was the best decision I could have made.

* * *

Drea—

"Drea Grisanti."

Well, this is it. When everyone else would leave their faction, but I am staying right here. I get on the stage and grab the knife. I stare at it, at my hand, at the Candor bowl filled with bloody glass. I take a deep breath and wince as the knife point pierces my left palm. I hold out my hand and let the blood drip.

Honest and truthful. I am just honest and truthful.

* * *

Annabella-

"Annabella Freeman."

Candor. I must choose Candor. I envision my blood dropping into the Candor bowl of glass that is already very red. I imagine myself passing Candor initiation and living there the rest of my life. I will be honest, even if it's hard. I will be. I have to.

I slowly walk up the three stairs to the stage. My shaking right hand clutches the knife handle. Gritting my teeth, I drag the blade across my hand. Oh, it stings. I see the five bowls in front of me. There's the Candor bowl on the far left. And there's the Erudite bowl on the far right. I'd better hurry. The carpet may already be stained, but the longer I stand here, the worse it will get. I am going to hurry to the left, hold out my hand, and join the Candor initiates.

But instead I walk confidently to my right, stretch out my left hand, and listen to the splash of blood against pink water.

And it turns out that I'm a good liar even to myself, because of course this is what I was going to do all along.

* * *

Laurella—

"Laurella Flickinger."

Faction before blood. I step onto the stage and grab the knife. I have to value faction before blood. I wince as the tip of the blade cuts my palm and walk to the left. Standing between the Candor and Amity bowls, I realize this is my last chance to make a decision. I want to stay with my family. I really do. But Amity is where I belong, my true faction. So I hold my hand out to the right and watch my blood soak into the soil.

Because faction should always come before family.

* * *

Dia—

"Dia Driskil"

Finally. Finally I get to leave this lame faction and go where I belong. I march up to the stage and cut a large gash in my hand. Ooh. I may need to bandage that later. I didn't realize it would bleed that much. But I hurry to the Dauntless bowl without giving the others any second thoughts. My blood sizzles on the hot coals.

I am no coward.

* * *

Rissa—

"Rissa Ahrens."

Abnegation, Dauntless, Erudite. Divergent. I don't know what to choose.

I am selfless, I am brave, I am intelligent, and I am Divergent. I walk onto the stage and take the knife. I don't know what I am going to do. I cautiously prick the palm of my left hand and walk to the three bowls on my right. Ever since the test results I have been going over my options and trying to calculate the best option based on facts about all of them, but I have come to no conclusion.

But then I realize that the answer lies in the very method I have used to determine. All on its own, my hand reaches for the Erudite bowl.

I am not selfish. I am not a coward. But I am definitely not stupid.

* * *

**Guuuuiiiiissse, this is my first story so I really need your opinions! R. E. V. I. E. W.**


	2. A New Identity Part 1: Erudite

Annabella—

I did it. I chose Erudite. If I don't pass initiation, I will be factionless. I stumble to join the other initiates. All… one of them? Only one? One girl born in Erudite, I can tell because she's wearing blue, their signature color. She has shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes and glasses and is as short as me.

A few more initiates join us, but not many. An Erudite-born boy, a boy from Dauntless, and both lastly and most surprisingly, a boy from Amity and a girl from Abnegation. Erudite hates Abnegation, and they don't care for Amity either. But I'm learning that one does not always agree with those they grew up with.

The Abnegation girl walks with the Erudite girl and me as we head for the elevator. What an odd trio we are; all with brown hair and brown eyes, one blue-clad, one in Candor black and white, one in plain Abnegation grey, two short, and one tall.

The six of us board the bus for the Erudite initiates and it quickly takes off. We will be going to Erudite headquarters to begin our initiations. What will initiation be? I think I can guess.

Along the way, we are all silent. I guess I should say my name or something, but I've never been one for social situations, and this doesn't seem like the best place to go around introducing myself. I guess my companions feel the same way.

The bus stops, and a tall, thin woman with a blue blazer and tight skirt who must be in her thirties bursts through the door and marches up the bus steps.

"I am Gina," she announces in an authoritative tone. "I am one of the leaders of your new faction, and I oversee all of the initiate training. Follow me."

Well, she wastes no words. We tumble out of the bus to catch up with her, trying not to trip over each other. But such is my luck, and I do trip, right on the concrete. I guess my new faction does not make me any less clumsy.

The Abnegation girl reaches out a hand and helps me up. Of course. The Abnegation are taught to help others. But the smile on her face is genuine, and I can't help wondering if she should be there instead of here.

We hurry to catch up with the group as I brush the gravel off my knees and utter a quick thank-you which she takes with another smile. I think I will like this girl.

We are filing into an impressive looking high-rise building that must be Erudite headquarters. Gina leads us through the first few rooms into one that contains twenty or thirty large touch screens at elbow level on pedestalsl

"Pick a screen and stay there!" Gina commands. "The very first part of your initiation will be to complete this quiz as quickly and accurately as possible. Do not ask me any stupid questions. Use your brains. The computer will check your work when you're done. Go."

I follow the instructions on my screen and begin the quiz. I was worried initially, because I have never been known for my speed, but this is easy! It's just algebra. Basic algebra I've learned in school just this past year. I suppose it could be hard for some people, but math has always come easily to me. In less than fifteen minutes, I hit "FINISH" and swirl around.

Gina gives me a skeptical look. The others are still working on their quizzes around me. "Are you sure you're done?" When I nod, she marches over to my pedestal where the software is calculating my results. Gina's jaw drops when the screen flashes **100%**.

I beam. Why did I ever have any doubt? This is where I belong.

My fellow initiates start to finish their quizzes around me. Two of the boys get in the upper eighty percents, and the others get ninety to ninety-seven, but no one else gets a hundred.

"Well, what's your name?" Gina asks.

I pause. "Annabella" seems too flouncy, too impractical for this place. I can be someone new here.

"Anna."

* * *

Elisa-

"Then Anna, you have the highest rank among the initiates so far. But don't get cocky. Initiation has barely started." Gina turns to me. "And you're second, with a ninety-seven. I think I've seen you around. You are?"

Gina recognizes me? That won't do. I can't have her- or anyone seeing me as the little girl who hadn't done her choosing ceremony yet. So I lie.

"Elizabeth."

* * *

Rissa-

Gina marches to me and looks at my screen. "Ninety-five. Surprisingly good for a Stiff."

I cringe. She called me "Stiff". That's what other factions call Abnegation people. But what can I do? I can't stop being selfless altogether. My test results weren't even 100% Erudite. But I guess I can try to make myself a new person in ways other than simply the virtue of the faction.

"Well?" Oops. I think Gina asked me my name. I guess this is a good place to start.

"Carissa."

* * *

Anna-

"How do you deal with only wearing black and white every day?" Lizzy asks me. "It must be so boring."

"It's not any worse than wearing blue every day must be," I respond, "but what must be boring is gray. At least we get to wear pretty stuff."

"The goal is to not draw attention to ourselves," says Carissa. "And yes, it is kind of dull, but I've never really minded it."

"I think that's pretty cool, the whole selfless thing," I say. "But I just can't do it myself."

"Well," Carissa chuckles, "it's good you like it, 'cause I don't think I can take one more person calling me Stiff!"

"Then let's get you some blue clothes!" exclaims Lizzy. "The both of you. You're dulling up the entire faction!"

It's after dark, so Lizzy must be joking. We've been walking down the downtown area of Erudite since dinner together in the initiate training building. Usually we're supposed to be studying during free time, but Gina let us initiates go downtown both because we're still in our old faction clothes and because the only possessions we ever had were left in our old factions. We now have nothing but the small amount of money we're granted each to spend until we finish initiation and get jobs.

I hit the jackpot in the very first store we walk into. I immediately find several pairs of cute jeans, some blue shirts, and a few pairs of shoes. I even get some new makeup. It isn't so easy for Carissa though. She has no clue what kinds of things she likes, and she isn't used to showing any more skin than her hands, face and neck. Eventually, we send her into the fitting room with a spaghetti-strap tank top and some jean capris. When she comes out with her hair still in a plain tight bun, Lizzy sighs.

"Wait right here," she says, and dives back into the body of the store, coming back out with an armful of accessories. "Let's start with your hair." Carissa gives a squeal of protest as Lizzy yanks out the hair tie from her bun. In replacement she places a thick blue headband on Carissa's forehead then turns her toward the mirror. "Much better."

"It's such a shame," I say. "You're so pretty, Carissa, but you've always had to hide it beneath those Abnegation clothes."

Carissa only shrugs, but I can barely see the hint of a smile. A little vanity is allowed here.

Carissa picks out some more clothes, shoes, and even some makeup (with our help of course), and we check out. Then, with our overstuffed shopping bags, we head back to the initiate training building.

After supper, Gina told us that we would need to pick up our designated packs at the front desk, then make ourselves at home in dorm room G1 on the fourth floor. Unsurprisingly, our packs come in the form of blue backpacks and suitcases with our first names on them, and they are supposed to contain everything we will need to survive Erudite initiation. We take the elevator up to the fourth floor.

There are two hallways on the fourth floor: B and G. Each hallway contains ten dorm rooms, which can each hold three people. I guess only one room in each hallway will be occupied this year.

Our room is very practical. It contains three bare beds, three desks with swivel chairs, three dressers, three small closets, a bookshelf, a full length mirror, and a bathroom. We each claim a space and unpack our backpacks and suitcases. The suitcases have sheets, and blankets, towels, and basic toiletries, and the backpacks have a binder, paper, pencils, pens, and a calculator. We wish we could have a few personal items, something to remember our families by maybe, but as they say, faction before blood. The only time we'll get to see our families will be on Visiting Day in a month, and even then they probably won't come because we're now traitors. Everyone except Lizzie and the other Erudite-born initiate, Michael, anyway.

Once we've gotten situated in our room, we decide to try out our new looks. We still have two hours before lights out anyway. I put on some jeans and one of my shirts, Carissa wears the capris and tank top she tried on earlier, and Lizzy reluctantly wears a dress I practically forced her to buy earlier because I insisted it would make her look older.

Our next challenge is teaching Carissa how to apply makeup. She flinches every time we get the mascara brush near her eye, and she keeps smearing the eyeliner all over. But eventually we get it all on her, and hopefully she'll be able to put on her own soon. Next we turn to my hair.

"I usually wear it down, but I feel like I should do something different," I say. "Any ideas?"

"Don't ask me," says Carissa, and we all chuckle.

"You could braid it," Lizzy points out. She steps behind me and weaves my hair into one long French braid down my back in what must be record time. "Pretty and practical. Perfect for Erudite."

I step in front of the full-length mirror and gaze at the reflection. This is not a girl who sees the truth as black and white. This is not a girl who will always speak her mind. The woman standing in front of me values knowledge above all else. She wears what will stimulate her mind. She always seeks facts and hates ignorance. She is me.

The woman in the mirror is not the scared little girl who walked up to the stage with knocking knees. That was Annabella. This is Anna.

* * *

Lizzy-

There is a woman in the mirror before me. She stands straight, tall, and confident. She is intelligent. She is knowledgeable. She is not the little girl in jeans and a blue t-shirt who was always "the smart one." She has grown up now. She is me.

The woman in the mirror is not the silly little girl who couldn't wait to take her aptitude test. That was Elisa. This is Elizabeth.

* * *

Carissa-

As I look at my new self in the mirror, I am only conflicted. How can I be who I am when my world says you can only be one thing, but I am many? I want to be selfless, courageous, and intelligent. My world says I can only be one. I am Divergent. In my world, that is dangerous. I don't know how, and I don't know why. And I am going to find out.

Selfless. Courageous. Intelligent. Honest. Kind. Is it possible to be all of them?

* * *

_Yes, the main character Anna is based off of myself. No, I do not actually think I am THAT smart. Yes, that character does currently lack some basic virtues. No, she is not actually a heartless jerk, she just appears that way. Yes, I am going to write about the other factions. No, I am not excited to write about Dauntless. JK I TOTALLY AM! And remember what I always say... YOU READ, YOU REVIEW, YOU GOT IT?_


	3. A New Identity Part 2: Dauntless

Meg-

What did I just choose?

"Come on, jump!" The Dauntless-born initiates are urging us up from the train car above me. These kids are crazy, but I have to do it, if I don't want to be factionless. I take off running hard next to the tracks, then jump. An Erudite boy takes my hand and pulls me up. Once I gain my feet inside the car, I turn around and pull Diah up. She winces when I let go of her hand, and I can see why when my own hand comes away smeared with blood. She cut it to hard. Typical Diah. It was pretty obvious she would choose Dauntless. I can tell she's still puzzled about me though. It doesn't matter. I can't explain my decision to her, because I don't understand it myself.

The train hits a bump and I lose my balance. Instead of falling on the floor of the train, though, I land in the arms of the Erudite boy who helped me earlier. I regain my balance and utter a quiet thank-you. That's weird. Why am I suddenly so shy? But when he winks at me, I understand. He's hot, really hot. Straight black hair that falls over his ears, piercing green eyes, and sharp jaw line. I think I like this boy.

"Get ready to jump again!" shouts one of the guys in black. We all peer outside of the train car. We are on an elevated track now, and the flat roof of a very tall building is fast approaching us. It will be at least a five foot jump. Here it comes. I gather up all my nerve and leap. My feet hit the concrete roof hard, and I fall on my back and roll a little, but I'm not hurt.

Diah-

I land on my feet on the roof. Good. I've got to make a good impression among these initiates. We're all really brave (Except maybe Meg. I'm still pretty confused about her, but I don't want to ask.), and I've got to stand out among them in order to get a good ranking at the end of initiation.

A Dauntless leader named Max greets us on the roof. He leads us to the other side of it, and instructs us to look down. We do so, and don't see much. There is no street, just tall buildings clustered so close together that all we see is blackness at the bottom of the gap between them.

"You'll have to jump," says Max. "Who wants to go first?"

Someone asks, "What's at the bottom?"

"Who knows?" Max replies, raising his eyebrows.

I scan the crowd around me, but no one seems to want to go. It must be safe, but….

How many initiates are there? There are probably about twenty of us, about half are Dauntless-born, and the rest are mostly from Erudite and Candor. There are none from Amity, obviously, but… a Stiff? Yes, there's an Abnegation boy with plain grey slacks and a long-sleeve t-shirt, close cropped black hair, and ears that stick out. As he looks out over the ledge with the rest of us, he is definitely frightened. He breathes heavily, his facial muscles are taut, and when he thinks no one will notice, he takes a few steps back.

But they do notice him, and many begin to chuckle. Then there's a loud voice from the back of the crowd. "Ohh, is the Stiff afraid of heights?" He laughs, and I see that it's the Erudite boy Meg was staring at earlier.

The Abnegation boy marches back through the initiates until he's face to face with the Erudite boy. He whips off his shirt and throws it behind him. "I. Am. Not. STIFF!" And with that he turns, runs toward the ledge, and jumps off it.

You can hear the gasps from the crowd, including my own, and then silence as we wait for a sign of life from the bottom. And then we hear a voice, not the boy's, but someone else's.

"First jumper: Tobias!"

I can practically hear the growl of the boy who taunted him. He hurries to the ledge and jumps as quickly as Tobias, except he gives a howl of satisfaction on the way down, and no announcement is made for his arrival.

Now we are all more confident, and things move along much more quickly. Next to jump is a tall Dauntless boy with dirty blonde hair, and I figure I had better go soon. So I wait a few seconds to give that last boy some time to get off of whatever is protecting our fall, then step up to the ledge. Don't look down. Don't look down. I take a deep breath and jump.

I scream with delight at the feeling of freefalling. I try to prepare for impact, but all I feel is rope beneath me, slowly bringing me to a stop. A net! Of course. It's dark down here, but when my eyes adjust to the dim lighting, I grab a hand that helps me to the edge of the net, then off it.

The hand that helped me belonged to the boy who jumped just before me. I look at him, and hope the dim lights hide my blush. Man, is he hot. "Thank you," I choke out.

"You're welcome," he says. "I'm Ryan. And you are?"

I pause. I have never liked my name. But I can change it now. "Lydia."

I hear a squeal and turn around to see Meg land on the net. I reach out my hand to help her, but instead she grabs the hand of that Erudite boy. Their exchange is much like mine was with Ryan.

"Eric," he says, after the "thank you"s are exchanged.

"Megan," she answers.

Megan? Then again, I lied about my name too. Both of us, new people, with new guys, in a new faction. It is a day for starting new.


End file.
